The Rarest Love
by Innocent heart2
Summary: With his world changing all around him and forces of evil bent on destroying whatever of it that may remain, one night changes everything and leads our hero onto a path in which the entire world's fate truly is in his hands...Pokeshipping
1. The Window into the Future

_**Mizu: I really don't know why but I was suddenly struck with the inspiration for a new Pokémon fanfiction a while back. *shrugs* Meh. Anyways, same as always with it mainly being Pokeshipping. This story is going to be quite unlike all my other Pokémon stories where Ash has already reached the Grand Pokémon Master or whatever I called it before. No, in this story, the heroes face all new challenges in this mix up between the game, manga, and anime worlds~! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did thinking it up. **_

_**Before we move on though, I want to get several things about this story out of the way. I want to make this perfectly clear. This is my story and thus my OPINIONS. There will most likely be things that not everyone will agree with and that's okay. I just have had a very bad experience when trying to express my opinions in this fandom. This is something that makes me very frustrated with it and thus I am extremely guarded on a lot of these things. It has taken a lot for me to actually convince myself to write this story and post it in the way that I want to and not just throw the idea away so not to deal with all the hate that might be directed at me. However, I absolutely love this story and all the ideas and work that I've poured into it. I have over dozens of pages outlining, reworking, rethinking, and planning this story out so I convey everything that I have in my head as clearly as I can to you all. Also, when it comes to this fandom at least, I am extremely stubborn and do not want to be pushed around. So, if there is anything in this story that you do not like, do not approve of, or generally hate, please don't read this story. It is as simple as that. **_

_**To make sure that you all know what you are getting into, here is a quick list of everything I think others might have a major problem with:**_

_**-I am majorly changing ages to what I see fit and feel they should be:**_

_**Ash: 20**_

_**Misty: 22**_

_**May: 17**_

_**Max: 14**_

_**James: 27**_

_**Brock: 23 or 24**_

_**Tracey: 21**_

_**Drew: 17**_

_**Dawn: 12**_

_**Prof. Oak: 67**_

_**Delia: 44**_

_**Gary: 20**_

_**Jessie: 26**_

_**-Pokémon will die. They will also occasionally be eaten. This story isn't all sunshine and Butterfree.**_

_**-There **__**will**__** be A LOT of OC's. Some will just be there for a chapter while others will be start to finish.**_

_**- I stopped watching the Anime half way through Diamond and Pearl. I have kept up with what Pokémon he had but…After Sinnoh, I will not be using any of the Anime. I will be mainly using the games for Unova. Moves Pokémon learn there or captured may or may not appear. Same thing for the characters but just to let you guys know, Serena will make an appearance much later.**_

_**-This story is rated M for violence and large amounts of sexual themes. I'm still debating on lemons but am not currently planning on them. However, they are all much older and the sexual tension will not be ignored.**_

_**-There are a lot of characters and Pokémon. They will occasionally go OOC. Please understand two things. One, all of the characters will age 4 tough years during this story so their personalities will change some. Two, I will lose track of things occasionally. For this I apologize in advance.**_

_**-I have never read any of the manga so I am going off of my fiancé's knowledge and what I've read online about them.**_

_**-I never played much attention to stats, natures, and such and that means that while I am doing so for this story, it is my first time in doing so and I will make mistakes. It is really confusing for me but please know that I'm trying.**_

_**-I am going to try and bring in as many of the games as I can but if I don't bring in your personal favorite one, please don't be offended. **_

_**-This story will be LONG. Because of this I am constantly doing research for it. It also means that there may be long breaks between chapters. I will try to avoid these but they are a distinct possibility.**_

_**-As I stated at the top, this is a Pokeshipping story. That means the main couple is Ash and Misty. I will agree that the other girls might have had a crush on Ash but I do not actively ship them. So please…do not request a switch or complain about my choice…If you don't like Pokeshipping, then don't read this story. It's as simple as that. **_

_**I apologize for the lengthy opening author's notes but I just want to make sure everything is out in the open before the story begins.**_

_**Disclaimer time~! I do not own anything to do with Pokémon the anime series, the game franchise, or the manga series. I'm just a fangirl looking through all of her thousands of Pokémon cards while cuddling her stuff Pikachu.**_

* * *

_**Chapter One: The Window into the Future…**_

"_No act of kindness, no matter how small is ever wasted." Aesop_

* * *

The sounds of hurried footsteps resounded throughout the snow covered valley as they drew closer to the safe haven that the local Pokemon Center promised. They were all laughing despite the frigid, swirling wind the tore through them. Within a matter of moments, the entire group rushed through the doors and into the building's warmth. The nurse and her main partner Pokémon stared in confusion at the group, surprised to see so many and to see them all laughing.

"We made it!" a man with black hair that was trapped under a red cap cheered as he collapsed onto the ground before unzipping his jacket to allow a yellow Pokémon to stick out its head, "There you go, buddy~!"

"Pika~!" the Pokémon beamed as it scampered up to his shoulder.

"I can't believe that you were right about the direction," a woman with fiery red hair that was put up to one side, "That's gotta be a first, right Ashy-boy?"

"I couldn't believe it either!" another man, this time with brown spiky hair laughed.

"At first, I thought that the world was coming to an end," yet another man with longish bluish green hair snickered.

"Thank goodness we made it here before the doors were locked," a girl with light brown hair that was significantly longer in the front and a red bandana on sighed in relief.

"Yeah, I was worried that we would have to camp out for the night," a boy with dark greenish, bluish black hair and wide rimmed glasses chuckled as he pulled his glasses off to clean them.

"Camp out in this weather? You're crazy!" A girl in a white cap with long navy blue hair gasped.

"It probably wouldn't be the first time that they've done it," a boy with grass green hair sighed.

"You're right on that, Drew~!" the boy with black hair laughed, standing up, looking over at the shocked nurse, "You must be the Nurse Joy of this center. I'm Ash Ketchum and this is Pikachu."

"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu greeted.

"Hi, I'm Misty~!" the redheaded girl smiled.

"My name's May and this is my little brother Max," the girl with light brown hair introduced.

"Hi there!" Max waved.

"I'm Tracy," the man with bluish green hair nervously smiled.

"Drew," the green haired man smirked.

"Call me Dawn~!" the girl with navy blue hair giggled.

"And call me love struck~!" the man with spiky hair beamed, hearts replacing his eyes as he materialized in front of the nurse, "May I call you my eternal Jo-_**Ah!**_"

"Okay Lover boy, let's go before you scare the poor woman even more…" Misty sighed as she dragged the man away by his ear, shocking Max and a blue toad Pokémon that suddenly appeared.

"Eh heh heh heh," Ash nervously laughed, "That's Brock and he likes to go gaga a lot…"

"I think that poor Croagunk is in awe of Misty and how she handled Brock," Tracy laughed.

"Probably~!" Ash laughed.

"No matter how many times I see it, I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing how well she keeps him in check," Max sighed.

"Same," Everyone but Ash and Tracy nodded in agreement.

Nurse Joy just blinked before smiling at the group, "You all seem like a lively bunch. I must say that it isn't every day that such a large traveling group comes this way through the valley."

"Oh, we aren't all traveling together," Tracy stated.

"We're just all friends that want to spend Christmas together," Misty finished.

"I see," Nurse Joy smiled, "So how many rooms do you need for while you're here?"

"Let's see, there are nine of us so I think three rooms would be fine for us all," Brock stated.

"Alright, just head up the stairs. You're the only people hear so just pick out whatever rooms you want," the nurse said before returning to her work.

The group let out a large sigh before smiling at each other.

"Let's go fight over who sleeps where~!" Ash cheered before racing up the stairs.

"Oh no you don't, Ashy-boy!" Misty laughed as she chased after him.

Brock let out a deep sigh, "It's good to see him smiling again."

"Yeah," Tracy nodded, "The Professor, Mrs. Ketchum, and even Gary were really worried about him."

"It wasn't like him to get so down like that," Dawn stated as the group slowly made their way to the stairs.

"Keep in mind what caused his depression though," Max pointed out.

"I still can't believe it," May whimpered, shaking her head, "It's just not fair."

"Poor Pikachu thought it was its fault," Drew sighed.

"I know. I don't think I've ever seen it so down before. It was in tears for days…" Brock sighed, "Ash was the only one that could get it to calm down."

"But still…to find out that he could never be a father must have crushed the poor guy," May stated as the group stopped next to the stairs, "He was always boasting on how he would have a giant family when he finished his journey…It was always his second biggest dream…"

"Yeah…" the rest nodded.

"…No one tells Misty this…" Brock said before climbing the rest of the stairs.

* * *

Ash sighed as he looked out the window in the boy's room. On his lap was his beloved partner, Pikachu, sound asleep and oblivious to the pain shrouding his trainer's heart that night. He absentmindedly gently petted the electric rodent, ignoring the slight amount of static coming off its coat, as he allowed his mind to wander. Memories of the past two months flooded his mind as he allowed a few tears slide out of his eyes.

It was two months ago when part of his heart and soul had been shattered. He was attending his annual physical, something he would be stupid to skip, when the doctor first noticed some troubling signs. He didn't explain anything to Ash and just made him…prepare some samples for him to run tests on. He didn't understand it but didn't really think about it. Even if the doctor had told him what was going on, he probably wouldn't have been able to understand it.

A couple days after that and a couple more tests, the doctor asked Brock to come in with him. That put Ash off a bit. He never liked people seeing him vulnerable especially when he was in a doctor's office. They made him jumpy. Anyway, Brock didn't really think anything of it until the doctor pulled out a file. The man's face looked like he was a bit tired. The doctor then began listing off all these scientific terms and lists of causes for something that Ash couldn't comprehend. But from the way that Brock's face paled, Ash knew it wasn't going good.

Then he finally said it. He said the word that even Ash knew. Infertile. He was infertile with no hopes of ever having children of his own. In that instant, the man who had faced downed so many villains that were bent on throwing the world off kilter, had stared down more ticked down legendary Pokémon than he cared to count, and who was the chosen one to protect the balance of the world felt his entire world crumble out from underneath him. He didn't even realize the tears that freely escaped his eyes that day.

He didn't remember leaving the doctor's office or the walk back to the Pokémon center where he, Brock, and Dawn were currently staying. He said nothing as Brock led him into the building and Dawn came prancing up to him with Pikachu. The trainer didn't even spare his first Pokémon and closest friend a glance as he stumbled up the stairs to their homes. Of course, the others followed but for once, Ash didn't care if they saw him. He was too far gone to care if they saw him break.

And break he did. He made it into the room but fell to his knees once he reached the center. Gritting his teeth for a moment, he threw back his head in a heart wrenching cry filled with so much pain and frustration that it shocked the two that knew nothing of what had happened with the doctor's office. His emotions flew out of whack at that moment. Anger, sorrow, pain, rage, loneliness, desperation all flew through him so fast that he didn't know what he should feel. All he knew then was that he wanted to be alone.

Quickly standing up, Ash made quick work of stripping himself of his specialized belt that held all his poke balls with his Pokémon. He stomped back over to where his three friends stood in the door way. Thrusting his belt and for some reason his hat into Brock's hands, he turned his back to them, shoulders trembling as he growled at them to leave him alone.

For once, they listened to him.

While Ash experienced his first breakdown, Brock led the two who knew nothing to their other room. There, he had them sit down before he said a word. They sat in silence for a while as the breeder desperately searched for the words that escaped him at seeing his dearest friend finally break. With a heavy sigh, Brock turned to Dawn and an anxious Pikachu. And told them the truth.

The look of horror that spread across Pikachu's face broke Brock's heart once again. As the electric rodent ran out of the room, most likely to try and comfort its best friend, he did nothing to stop it. He leaned against the wall, running a hand through his hair as Dawn stared at him in confusion. Of course she didn't know. She had never asked Ash about what he was going to do when he reached his dream. Ash had never told her his plans to have as many children as his future wife would allow.

Hours were spent trying to explain things to Dawn before Brock gave up and went to check up on Pikachu. He wasn't surprised to see a worried Nurse Joy staring at the Pokémon that weakly pawed at the door that kept it from its trainer. Her hands looked like she had tried multiple times to pull Pikachu away, a few marks from Pikachu's tiny claws, teeth, and electricity. Said electric rodent was still trying to get in to reach Ash, tears sliding out of its eyes and dampening its fur.

Being careful to not startle the Pokémon, Brock walked up and gently knocked on the door. There was no sound coming from the other side of the door. Gulping, the former gym leader spoke through the door to try and talk the trainer into opening the door, if only to allow Pikachu in. After a few moments, the breeder slowly opened the door to reveal an empty room. Quickly, those gathered raced to the open window. They stared out into the forest that surrounded that side of the building, futilely trying to spot the trainer.

Brock barely managed to grab Pikachu before it tried to jump out the window to search. The Pokémon struggled with all its might to get free from the breeder, but Brock didn't let up. Nurse Joy, still not knowing what was going on, quickly shut the window. As Pikachu cried out, Brock finally let it go in favor of locking the window. Immediately after, the electric rodent began pounding on the window.

Leading the nurse out of the room, Brock had never been so glad that most rooms in the Pokemon Centers had begun to use windows that could stand most attacks from any Pokémon…

For the next three days, Ash was nowhere to be seen. Pikachu never left that room, somehow thinking that this was its entire fault. Anyone who went to take food to the poor Pokémon had to be ready to catch it. Brock ordered all those that did to make sure that Pikachu never left that room until Ash came back. There was one time that Pikachu did get out though. It was when it was Dawn's turn to take the food to the incredibly strong electric mouse. She still didn't understand why it was such a big deal. In fact, she thought that Ash was overacting to everything and that he was a jerk because they would now miss her next contest. So she didn't heed Brock's order and opened the door wide.

Thank goodness that Infernape happened to be out of its poke ball and was paying attention enough that it managed to grab the desperate Pokémon before it made it out of the building. After that, Dawn was forbidden from going into that room until Ash came back. Of course, she still didn't understand and tried to force Brock to stop being so paranoid. She didn't understand until she caught Brock when he called Mrs. Delia Ketchum.

Dawn would never forget the look of complete horror on the woman's face. At first she thought that it was because she herself would never have grandchildren. But then she started demanding to see Ash, Dawn started to think that maybe there was more to this development. She just kept going on and on about how Brock needed to go find Ash and that she was heading that way. It took Brock about twenty minutes to calm her down enough for her to explain things.

Once she was calm enough, Mrs. Ketchum quickly set out on a tale of a side of Ash that Dawn had never known. She told Dawn of how Ash's father didn't actually see Ash for the first time until he was four. By then, Ash had already started to be picked on by other in their small town of Pallet. That first visit only lasted for two weeks and then he was gone yet again. For a while though, Ash didn't mind that his father was gone yet again. But that all changed when Ash was six.

When Ash turned six, he had seen his father only for five weeks in his entire short life. But he didn't care because while he teased him, Ash had his best friend, Gray Oak…

That is until tragedy stuck the tight knit community Gary's parents were suddenly killed by a drunk driver on their way back from work in Viridian City. The Oak family was devastated. Luckily, Professor Oak was able to take in his two grandchildren instead of one of their relatives. Unfortunately, Gray became somewhat closed off to his closest friend. He began treating Ash worse than any other kid and thus the rest began to treat him worse as well.

Mrs. Ketchum remembered when Ash came back from trainer school in tears. He ran to her and begged her not to make him go back. What could she have done but agreed? Then, at dinner that night, Ash quietly asked his mother when his father would be back again for the first time. When she told him that she didn't know, she had never seen her son's face with such a heart breaking expression on it. That night, after she had put her son to bed, Mrs. Ketchum called her husband and begged him to come back home. For what seemed like hours, she tried to convince him to come back for their son. But it did little good. He promised to be back for Ash's birthday but no sooner. Sighing, the woman gave in for the night.

The next day, she allowed her precious son to sleep in as she made his favorite breakfast. When it was well after when his first class would have started, Mrs. Ketchum finally went up to her son's room. She smiled gently as she watched him sleep, blissfully free of the pain that had captured his being the previous day. Gently shaking him awake, she laughed at how he still fought waking up. After maneuvering him into a sitting position, the mother carried her son to breakfast.

As he slowly woke up at the breakfast table, Mrs. Ketchum called the school to inform them that Ash would no longer be attending any more classes. Not five minutes later, the household phone rang. It was Professor Oak. He was calling because Ash hadn't been in class when he came to talk about the starter Pokémon. Sighing, Delia just told him to question Gary. When the call had ended, Ash was halfway through breakfast and was eagerly awaiting her arrival at the table. Smiling, the mother sat down and told him the good news about his father. Delia had never seen her son's face light up so much. He began questioning her, wanting to know everything about his father. The woman was just relieved to see her son's spirits lifted.

Months passed and Ash never returned to school. Gary never apologized, much to the Professor's dismay, and Ash stopped spending time with anyone inside Pallet town. Instead, he either went to professor Oak's lab or the forest nearby. And every day, he bragged to all the Pokemon around him that his father was coming home for his birthday. He did so every single day until…

His birthday had come and gone. The child held hope that his father would still be coming for three weeks. At the end of the third week, Ash unfortunately ran into Gary. His future rival began to tease Ash about how his father didn't even come back for his birthday. Ash ignored it the best he could until Gary said something unforgivable. He said that his father sure must have hated having such a loser for a son.

Ash snapped. Tackling the other boy to ground, the young boys experience their first fight. Thankfully Professor Oak was nearby and separated the two. But as soon as he did so, Gary started up with the insults again. This time, Ash ran off to the sanctuary of the forest.

Hours later, Delia found her son crying at the base of a huge tree. He looked up and glared at her but she knew that it was meant for the missing half of her heart. The boy growled out how his father had promised that he would be there. He poured at his soul to his mother and the Pokémon that had come out to check on him. Rubbing his eyes viciously to stop his tears, he cried of how his father broke the most sacred of things: a promise, something should _**never**_ be broken. With the gathered Pokémon and his mother there as his witnesses, the boy's aversion for his father began to fester within his heart.

That evening, as Delia carried her son emotionally weakened home, the man who had broken the sacred promise appeared in front of their front door. Thankfully, Ash was fast asleep so he couldn't throw another fit. But when Delia saw her husband, she honestly didn't know whether to feel overjoyed that he was back or overcome with frustration. When he spotted her, he first started to ask why no one was at home. His words caught in his throat when he saw Ash on her back. Instantly, his paternal instincts finally kicked in and he was lifting his son free of his wife. Delia felt her heart melt as she watched the man gently cradle his child to his person.

Tired of the excitement of that day, the woman decided to just put her son to bed before doing the same with herself. Leading her husband through the house, she stood off to the side and watched as he tenderly placed their son on his bed that was covered in Pikachu. Sighing, she didn't answer the worried looks that he shot her as they headed off for their room. She was too tired to talk. She'd save that for the morning.

Morning came sooner than she would have liked. Delia was awoken in the middle of the night be a pitiful voice in the doorway of her bedroom. Sitting up and half awake, the woman made out the image of her son standing there with tears threatening to fall, clinging to his Pikachu pillow as he stared at her as if fearing that she would send him away. When asked what was wrong, Ash had just whispered that he had had a bad dream and didn't want to be alone. A warm, yet worried feeling gripped the woman's heart as she motioned for him to sleep with her. A bright, relieved smile graced his face as he quickly rushed the other side of the bed. Then he froze, eyes wide as he stared at the sleeping face of his father.

Delia looked over, about to ask what was wrong when she realized that Ash didn't know his father was home. Cursing under her breath, she turned in time to watch her son climb over the man she loved, making sure to do it hard enough to wake him. Her husband jolted awake, and nearly started to scold Ash when he realized what had happened. Of course, Delia stepped in and made sure that if he said a word, he would be forced to sleep on the lumpy couch. Meanwhile, Ash had snugly placed himself in between the two, trying to get as close to his mother as possible.

The next morning, Delia awoke to see that her husband had already awoken and was down stairs attempting to make breakfast. Leaving her son to save the man she married, a feeling of dread began to build up. As the two worked to save many of the dishes that he had almost ruined, neither noticed the drowsy Ash that had appeared and sat himself at the table. It was only when they turned to put all the food down was the child's appearance noted. Of course, her husband was all smiles as they sat down on either side of Ash.

Throughout breakfast, Delia could feel the impending explosion that would follow build and build. Her husband tried desperately to start a conversation with their son with little success. It wasn't until after they had eaten and Delia had started on the dishes did the man finally step on a landmine. Said landmine was when he asked why Ash wasn't getting ready for school. He teased him saying that he knew that he missed him but he couldn't play hooky. Ash had roughly replied that he didn't go to school anymore. When his father asked why, the boy stood up in a huff, snapped at his father to stop acting like he cared, and then raced off to his bedroom.

Delia sighed as her husband's confused and distressed face turned to her for an explanation. Sitting back down, she proceeded to explain everything that had happened since she called begging for him to come home. She told him how Ash was bullied constantly for his father never being around. She told him of how he lost his best friend and how said best friend now tormented him worse than any other child their age. How Ash waited patiently for him to keep his promise even after weeks had passed.

Once the explanation had concluded, Delia watched as her husband rushed up the stairs to their son's room. Sighing, she slowly followed, not wanting to get in his way. She leaned in the doorway as the man promised again and again that he would never do such a thing again. Ash seemed skeptical but soon came around, desperate to believe the man he wished to get to know.

For the next two months, the father and son duo became famous throughout the town. The two were inseparable for the full two months. Delia had never seen her son so happy. Her husband tried to help teach Ash some of the things he would learn in school. While Ash had never been too bright, he tried his best to absorb everything his father said. For two months, everything was perfect and the Ketchum's all felt as if they were finally a family.

However, nothing can last forever. At the end of the two months, Ash's father had to leave again. But before he left, he promised that he would be back for Christmas. So for the rest of the year, Ash waited patiently for his father to reappear. Every day, he would run errands for his mother like running out to the nearby greenhouse to pick up a few hundred pounds of fertilizer or just pick up some groceries before heading out to the forest to play with the Pokémon. In doing this, he managed to stay out of sight of all his fellow children and out of trouble. Day in and day out, the small child did this until Christmas had come and gone with no sign of his father.

It wouldn't be for another two months after the promised returned that his father would reappear. Said reappearance only lasted for a couple of days before he disappeared into the world yet again. These couple of days were used to convince Ash that he would never again break a promise to him. This time, the young boy was much more skeptical of his father's word but nevertheless decided to give him another chance. But even Delia knew that a wound had appeared on their son's heart towards his father that nothing would ever fix by now.

So Ash wasn't so surprised that his father broke his promise and missed his birthday again. When his father finally did come back and promise to be back before the end of three months, the boy found himself dimly hoping that he would but refused to get his hopes up. This pattern continued for the next couple of years until the final promise that the man broke to his son. His promise to be home before he left on his journey. It would have been the last time the two would be able to see each other until Ash finished his own journey. When his father did not appear by the day he left, Ash had given up all hope on the man, a wound deeply engraved on his heart that would never be healed.

When Mrs. Ketchum finished her story, Dawn was both awestruck and confused. What did any of that have to do with Ash being so devastated about not having kids? Yes what happened to him ruined the image of a father for him but what did that have to do with him having kids? She was about to ask when Mrs. Ketchum beat her to it. She told of how the few times that his father was home, he made it a point to make sure that Ash would have such a large family drive that he wouldn't have a choice but try to have as many kids as he could. He would constantly talk of how important families were. It got to the point that the notion of children became almost like a false dream to Ash.

Mrs. Ketchum sighed when Dawn asked what she meant by a false dream. With a sad smile gracing her face, the mother just asked what seven year old in their right mind would constantly dream about having ten kids of their own running around. When he wasn't training with his father or mother that was all that the boy's mind was on. It wasn't by his conscious choice though. She would have understood if it came up later because her son was always overzealous with everything he did but when he was a child, it worried her.

When he finally had given up on his father, Delia had thought that the absurd notion of family that was planted in his mind would fade away. No such luck. If anything, it grew even bigger as Ash began to declare that he would become the father to his children that he never had. He began to plan how they would go out on monthly outings and he would be home for dinner every day, even if he did become a Pokemon master. No matter what was said to him, family was a subject that he had no choice but aim for. It was a wish that wasn't originally his and one that he wouldn't have dreamed for until it was his time to…

Brock finally stepped in and explained that when he and Misty first met Ash, he would brag at least once a week about the huge family that he would have one day. It honestly worried both him and Misty to the point that they secretly called Mrs. Ketchum to question her. That's when she told them the story behind it. Misty had been so ticked off that it took all Brock had to hold her back from finding Ash's father and bashing his head in with her mallet. After they found out, they made it their job to try and get Ash to forget the false dream he had, at least until he became older and had found the woman he loved more than anything.

Finally, Dawn understood why never being able to have children broke the strongest trainer she knew. Excusing herself, she quickly ran off to their rented room and flung herself on the bed, tears flowing from her eyes like rivers.

Three days later, Ash returned, a wide laughing smile gracing his face. The smile was bright on his face but his eyes were dull and almost dead. When he opened the door to the room Pikachu was locked in, he was quickly Volt Tackled to the ground. The electric rodent clung to its trainer the whole day, refusing to let him go for anything. It got to the point that Ash had to hand feed it because it refused to let go to eat. The next day was a little better but for the majority of the day the Pokémon could not be pried off its trainer.

As the weeks passed, Brock noticed how while Ash seemed to be slowly returning to his old self, he continued to drift in and out of a trance of sorts. He didn't talk as much as he normally would as they traveled from town to town. Most of the time, he had Misty's Lure out and would stare at it for hours. While this worried the rest, nobody said anything. They were too afraid that the boy would have another breakdown if anything was said.

Finally though, Brock had had enough of seeing Ash in such pain. So while they were in yet another town, he quickly set to work calling up all of their friends and convincing them to come and meet up with them for Christmas. Most of them, while they wanted to come and see them, at first didn't think that such a quick reunion was a good idea. That is until Brock explained his reasoning. It was after hearing this that all of those that needed convincing immediately started packing their things.

The only that didn't need convincing was Misty. Misty would always jump at the chance to see Ash again but she was the one that was the least likely to come due to three notorious problems. What she needed was Brock to convince her sisters to agree to allow her to come.

This was quite the challenge, but after some bribing and the like, the breeder finally pulled it off. Now that that was taken care of, Brock made sure that nobody said a word to Ash about meeting up with their friends so that it would be a surprise that would lift his spirits without getting any hopes up.

The way Ash's face lit up when he spotted all of their friends as they entered the next town a week later was priceless. Even more so when he laid eyes on his longtime friend and love Misty. And yes, Brock would gladly call her his love to him seeing as he confessed to him several months earlier that he did in fact love her. Seeing the boy revert to when he was younger, everyone laughed as Ash and Misty instantly began bickering with each other. At first, those not used to seeing the two together could be seen trying to stop the arguing. But that all stopped when they saw the happiest smile ever on the trainer's face.

That's what led to where Ash was now, sitting on the windowsill in confusion. He knew why Brock did what he did and that Dawn was now informed of his childhood. He knew that Misty didn't know what they had found out. Nobody had said anything to him but one of the perks of being more friendly to Pokémon than humans was you start to understand what they say. He had overheard his Pokémon on many occasions after all their friends got together talking about Brock's brilliant plan. Normally, Ash would have been furious that nobody had told him but he just couldn't find it in him at the moment.

Sighing, Ash gently banged his head against the window, staring out into the snowy world around them. Deep in his heart, he knew that it could have been worse. He could have been dying from some mysterious disease and only have a few weeks left to live. His growth spurts, which were finally kicking in full blast, could have caused some kind of stress on his body and he would have to give up training for a while. He could have some kind of disease that would eventually leave him unable to travel. His yearly physical could have brought up so many other things that would have been a million times worse that he should be counting his blessings.

But something in him just kept reminding him of the dream family he would never have now. The pain from such a thought crushed his heart. No matter what he did, he couldn't get away from the pain of it all. The worst part of it all, Ash was starting to question why he had wanted such a large family for such a long time. He had never questioned why, thinking that it was just something he wanted due to the fact that he had such a small broken one. But now, he wasn't so sure…

"Hm?" Ash sounded, eyes catching movement down by the Pokemon Center doors.

There were two hooded figures carrying two bundles of blankets. They stood in front of the doors for a moment, as if waiting for something.

"Idiots, everyone knows that Pokemon Centers lock their doors at midnight," Ash sighed, standing up to go get Nurse Joy to let them in, "What are they carrying anyway? Two baby Pokémon?"

Before he could take a single step, the two hooded people quickly put the bundles down by the door and started running away.

"O-Oi!" Ash shouted, pressing himself to the glass, ignoring the fact that he just woken in the room up, "Where are they going!"

Without thinking about himself, or the others in the room, Ash flung open the window. He shouted at the two, startling them and prompting them to run even faster. Clad only in his pajama pants, the trainer jumped out of the window. His first instinct was to chase after them but something called his attention to the two bundles they had left. Slowly walking up to them, he noticed a note safety pinned on one of them. Pulling off the note, he knelt next to the bundles as he read it.

"To whoever finds these two bundles of joy; please forgive us for being so cowardly to abandon them as such. We just couldn't risk our families finding out about them. Please look after them and love them in ways that we could not…" Ash read, eyebrows furrowing together before he returned his attention to the bundles.

A horrible feeling of dread began to well up inside of him. Ignoring that shouts and curses coming from the room that he jumped out of, the trainer reached out with a shaky hand to uncover one of the bundles.

"Holy-!" Ash screamed, jumping back from the bundle.

What he thought had been a Pokémon turned out to be a human baby.

* * *

_**Mizu: Aaaand cut~! *nods satisfied* Not really where I wanted to cut this but it'll do to help keep the chapters just the right length. **_

_**Ash: Woah…Most of the beginning of the story is a flashback…**_

_**Pikachu: Pika…**_

_**Mizu: Technically, it isn't a flashback because I took care to make it in the present instead of actually having to go through the whole thing a flashback would force me to. Anyways, here's the first chapter~! Remember that I love all reviews and suggestions~! Ciao for now everyone~!**_

_**Pikachu: Pi Pikachu~!**_


	2. Innocent Pools of Love

_**Mizu: Ugh…College has returned once again…Good news is that I'm technically a senior~! Yay! Bad news is that I probably won't be graduating this school year…boooooo…stupid million credit hour major and minors…On top of my major classes, I am taking three different language classes so I shall be busy. Spanish IV and Introduction to Literature (Spanish) along with German I…I can do this! I just have to keep all my flash cards separate! **_

_**Anyways, here's the next chapter, just kind of an off chapter to lead to the next step, just like the next couple. The only reason that they're being split apart is to keep the chapters a decent length (instead of the twenty pages they would be). I mean, that length of chapter's is cool but it's not good for some because then you have to keep reaching the same length for all the rest that follow. Disclaimer time: I don't own anything to do with the Pokémon series or franchise. If I did, I would be the happiest otaku in the world and I wouldn't be worried about running out of food between paychecks…**_

* * *

_**The Rarest Love: Chapter Two- Innocent pools of Love…**_

_"Love is but the discovery of ourselves in others, and the delight in the recognition." - Alexander Smith_

* * *

"Holy-!" Ash screamed, jumping back from the bundle.

What he thought had been a baby Pokémon turned out to be a human baby. Gathering his wits and courage once more, the trainer slowly uncovered the other bundle to reveal another child. Letting out another freaked out shout, Ash stared at the babes. Both had jet black hair like his own, but both had a streak of either red or blue running through their bangs. After staring at the two for what seemed like forever, Ash quickly snapped out of his trance and gently picked up the two babes.

"Ash! Why did you jump out of the bloody window!" Brock's voice sounded above the other men that he shared a room with, reminding just how he got outside.

"Never mind that! Somebody get down here and let me in!" Ash shouted.

"Forget it! You jumped out the window so you can just climb back in!" Tracy snapped.

"I don't have any hands to use to climb back in!" Ash snapped back, stomping his feet, "Just hurry up!"

"What the crud is going on out there!" Misty shouted, flinging up the girls' room's window.

"Misty! Why'd you open the window!" May whined.

"Ash Ketchum, why are you outside shouting up a storm!" Misty snapped.

"I wouldn't be outside if somebody would just let me in already!" Ash snapped back, holding the two babies closer to his person.

"Why are you outside anyway?" Max asked, taking note of the bundles in Ash's arms, "And what are those?"

"I'm out here cause I saw two people abandon these two here at the doors so let me in already!" Ash shouted.

"What!" Everyone from both rooms shouted before flooding out of their rooms to fetch Nurse Joy.

Meanwhile, Ash stood outside, just now thinking that maybe jumping out of the window wasn't such a great idea. Holding both babes as close as he could, the trainer felt a sudden anger fill his being as he thought of the two that abandoned the two. How could they do such a thing? Why weren't they happy with the two blessings they had been given? As the doors were unlocked and flung open, Ash found his anger starting to grow more and more as he thought about what would have happened if he hadn't saw them. It was below freezing outside and the two babes were wrapped only in thin blankets like the ones that are used in hospitals for newborns.

"So did you see who abandoned those Pokémon?" Max asked, automatically thinking just what Ash did.

"They aren't Pokémon," Ash said, turning to the nurse, "Do you have any small beds?"

"Yes," the nurse nodded before going off to get one.

"What do you mean they aren't Pokémon?" Misty whispered, coming up to Ash's side.

Ash sighed as he shifted the two bundles gently so that everybody could see. A unanimous round of gasps ran through the group as they laid eyes on the sleeping babes. Not a word was said as the trainer made his way over to one of the couches in the lobby. Sitting down, Ash let out a long sigh. Misty was instantly at his side with her arms outstretched. Smiling weakly at his love, he motioned for her to take one of them.

"Wh-Who could do such a thing?" May whimpered as the group surrounded the two on the couch.

"Pikapi…" Pikachu whimpered, jumping onto its trainer's shoulders before rubbing its cheek against his own.

"I'm fine, Pikachu," Ash lied.

"It's okay, Ash. We know how you feel about family," Misty tried to comfort her best friend.

Ash sighed, "It just baffles me…What on earth would make you abandon your own flesh and blood? The note they left said that they couldn't let their parents find out about them but that isn't a good excuse to give up your children…"

"Some people just aren't meant to be parents," Tracy sighed, "They think it would be fun to do the deed but when they're faced with the consequences they suddenly become so overcome with the fear that everything will change and do even more stupid things."

"I guess so," Ash said before shaking his head, "But what would have happened if I hadn't noticed them? They were only wrapped in these thin blankets…They would have probably died by time Nurse Joy came to unlock the doors…"

"Like I said, they get scared and do even more stupid things…" Tracy shook his head.

Ash stared at the child in his arms and felt something grip at his heart strings. It was so unfair…He would love to be able to have such beautiful blessings but was unable and yet two people who would never love them were their parents. Tightening his grip slightly, the trainer fought to keep the tears from forming. Brock and everyone else watched as he struggled with his own emotions. It broke their hearts to see their dear friend in such a state. It truly wasn't fair but as trainers that had traveled the world over, they all also knew that life wasn't meant to be fair. Getting by through all the heartbreaks and hardships placed in front of them is what made people strong.

'Even so,' Brock thought as he stared at his closest friend, 'Just because they are strong does not mean that they don't have weaknesses or breaking points. Ash just recovered from reaching one such breaking point…I don't know if he's prepared to face another…'

A low gasp broke everyone out of their trance. Immediately, they began to frantically search for the source. When they realized that it had come from the trainer on the couch before them, they began to worry even more than they had been. His eyes were wide and locked on the child who was in his arms. Following his eyes, everyone's breath caught in their throats from what they saw. Deep, pure cerulean eyes with so much life swirling in them stared up at Ash with so much wonder and love.

Tears suddenly started flowing out of the normally strong trainer's eyes. Biting his trembling lip, Ash pulled the child into a tight embrace as he desperately tried to regain control on his emotions. Misty instantly tried to place a hand on her best friend's shoulder when a gurgle from her bundle distracted her. Returning her attention to the child she held, she felt her breath catch in her throat once more.

The child she held had eyes that were filled with just as much wonder and love as its sibling in its burnt cinnamon depths. Her gasp drew Ash's and everyone else's attention. Everyone looked between the two babes and soon came up with the same conclusion…

…The babes in their friends' arms could have easily been their own children…

Ash stared at the two babes and soon gave up on trying to hold back his emotions. With tears flowing freely down his scarred cheeks, he unwrapped the child he held enough to find its tiny hands. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he placed his pinky next to one of the tiny hands. Without a second of hesitation, the child's pudgy little fingers wrapped around his one and held on with all its might. The second it did so, a sudden wave of warmth flooded into the trainer's heart, pushing out the darkness and doubt of the fear of never having a family. Weakly, smiling at the child, he motioned for Misty to give him back the other.

Silence surrounded the group as they found their eyes locked on their precious friend hold the two babes in his arms.

"H-Here's the bed," Nurse Joy said as she and a Chansey quickly rolled out a small hospital bed.

"Th-Thank you," Tracy said in place of Ash.

"Nur…Nurse Joy?" Ash sounded.

"Yes?" the nurse blinked.

"What would be the proper course of action in a situation like this?" Ash asked, not even looking at the woman.

"Well, we should call Officer Jenny and then she would probably take these two to an orphanage to either be adopted or wait until the parents are found," Nurse Joy stated, looking at the two babes, "Problem is, the closest orphanage is a two day walk from here…"

"Well, I'm sure Officer Jenny would be able to take them there faster in one of her vehicle-" Max started to weakly laugh.

"No…" Ash said so low that it was almost missed.

"No?" Brock questioned.

"She won't have to take them to the orphanage," Ash stated, slowly standing to place the babes on the bed provided.

"What are you talking about, Ash?" May asked, "If she doesn't, then who will?"

"She won't have to because I want to adopt them," Ash said, completely serious.

There was silence for a good minute before Misty nervously laughed while standing up as well, "G-Good one, Ashy boy. You always knew how to break a tense atmosphere."

"I'm not kidding, Misty," Ash said, turning to her while Pikachu jumped down to the bed.

"F-For real?" she gaped, "You're really not joking?"

"Why would I joke about something like this?" Ash nearly scoffed, "You all know my opinion on family. Besides, I would be a fool to leave these two."

"But what about your journey?" Drew asked, "You can't believe that you'll be able to travel and raise two kids at the same time."

"Who said about traveling with them?" Ash questioned, "I'll probably go back to Pallet and stay there until they're around three or four before setting off again. Mom will be ecstatic to have grandchildren and whenever I go off on my journey, if I don't take them, I'll make sure that I'm only gone for at most two months."

"How will you be able to do that if you go to a new region?" Dawn questioned, one of the few that seriously thought that this was a bad idea.

"I have a Charizard that is quite capable of flying anywhere in the world overnight," Ash boasted proudly, "I just have to call up the Charizard valley and explain everything and I'm sure that he'll be happy to help me out~!"

"N-Not too sure about how much Charizard would appreciate that but I've been wrong before," Tracy whimpered, "But are you sure that you'll be able to do that considering your past?"

Ash shrugged, "Maybe this is just a sign that it's time to go after Red."

"_**R-RED!?**_" Everyone screamed.

"A-Are you insane, Ash!" Max snapped, "Y-You haven't even been able to defeat an Elite Four member when you randomly meet up with them!"

"Forget the Elite Four! What about all the region's Champions that you will have to go through before you even _**dream**_ of climbing Mount Silver to challenge Red!" Tracy shouted.

"You'd have to be out of your mind if you're thinking of going after Red as you are!" May yelled.

"No one ever said that you _had_ to go through every region's Elite Four and Champions," Ash pointed out, "And you guys seem to forget that we've been to Mount Silver before so I at least know my way around the base."

"That's not the point!" Brock snapped, tempted to smack his friend upside his head, "Nobody has _**ever**_ defeated Red before! Hence why he is called the World's Greatest Pokemon Master! I don't care how strong you think you are, there is absolutely no way that you're ready to go after him!"

"That's right! Red's the strongest trainer in the world!" Dawn screeched, "How could you defeat a guy like him?"

"Easy, I train my Pokémon for the next couple of years while I'm in Pallet and then we challenge him," Ash said, totally serious, "You'll never know what could or could not happen until you try it."

"Think about your Pokémon for cripes sake!" Max cried, "None of them could ever dream to stand up to Red even in a million years!"

"Oi, take that back! My Pokémon are the strongest in the world~!" Ash demanded before turning to his longtime partner and friend, "What do you say Pikachu? Do you think we should go after the title of the World's Greatest Pokemon Master?"

"Pika~!" Pikachu nodded, eyes alight with a flame of confidence.

"It's settled then~!" Ash beamed.

"What's settled!" Everyone shouted.

"Ash…" Misty whispered, shocking everyone, "What did you mean by that you'd be a fool for leaving those two?"

"Huh?" Ash blinked before rubbing the back of his head, "Well…Because I may never get another chance to have my own family."

"What are you talking about?" Misty suddenly snapped, causing Ash, Brock, Tracy, and Pikachu to all flinch, "Of course you'll have another chance! You're still young and you haven't even started dating yet! When you get married, that'll be your chance to-"

"No…No it won't," Ash growled, interrupting her rant.

"Wh-What are you talking about?" Misty asked, beautiful cerulean blue eyes wide, "I don't understand…What are you hiding from me, Ash Ketchum!"

Ash sighed before running a hand through his wild jet black hair, "I can't have my own kids, Mist…I'm completely sterile so even if I do marry the woman I love, we could never have our own family…and she'll never want to be with me because having kids is also one of her biggest dreams…"

"…D-Does…Does she know about this?" Misty asked, suddenly nervous.

"Yeah," Ash reluctantly nodded.

'It's not a total lie,' Ash thought, 'Since she is the woman I love, she does know now…'

'Oh god…I knew that he had always loved somebody else but to think that he had confessed and that she rejected him for such a petty reason…' Misty thought, 'I mean, I want a family too but I would never leave this wonderful guy for something so small. After all there is adopt…tion.'

"I see," Misty smiled weakly, "Then I agree with you, Mr. Pokemon Master~!"

"Huh?" everyone blinked.

"You would be a fool to pass this up," Misty smirked as she walked over to the bed, "Well, since you'll be in Pallet for a while, make sure to come and visit me in Cerulean City as often as you can! I'm going to spoil these kids even more than their grandmother~!"

"Oi! One person trying to spoil them is enough!" Ash snapped, "What are you planning to do to my kids!"

"I'm going to corrupt them and make them water Pokémon trainers!" Misty teased.

While the two best friends suddenly started bickering, the rest could be seen on the ground holding their heads.

'What the crud? Misty just found out that Ash couldn't have kids and she _**didn't**_ go on a murderous rampage!?' Brock shouted in his mind, 'I mean, Misty's dream of having a family is something that she would do anything for just like Ash…'

"Eh? Those are good names!" Misty stomped her foot.

"If I'm going to be their father, I'm going to name them!" Ash retorted, turning to Nurse Joy, "Sorry to bother you so much but you wouldn't have some diapers, would you?"

"Eh? Oh, n-no," Nurse Joy said, shaking her head.

"Crud…Pikachu, go and get my backpack," Ash ordered.

"Pika!" Pikachu saluted before dashing off.

"What, did your mom pack you diapers just in case too?" Misty gaped.

"No but I wouldn't doubt it," Ash sweat dropped, "She just might start too…"

"yeah…" Misty and Brock agreed.

"Then what are you going to do?" Nurse Joy asked.

"I'm going to turn one or two of my old shirts into makeshift ones, at least for tonight," Ash stated.

"Why not just let them keep wearing the ones they have on?" Dawn asked.

"They were sitting in the snow before Ash picked them up," Max sighed, "With those thin blankets, the diapers that they have on right now are probably wet. The fact that they aren't crying is a miracle."

"Agreed," Tracy and Drew nodded.

"Thankfully, since tomorrow is the twenty-fourth, a few stores should still be open so we'll go and stock up," Ash stated as Pikachu reappeared.

"Sounds good…So I take it that you're going to head back to Pallet after Christmas?" Brock asked.

"Yeah," Ash nodded, setting to work, "While I would like to keep going, I don't think that's such a good idea. Especially considering that we're due for a Team Rocket attack any day now."

"True," everyone but the confused nurse nodded.

"I can't believe that they changed their motto again…" Misty sighed.

"I can't believe me that they've chased me for ten years…" Ash sighed, finishing one make-shift diaper, "There. Now, let's hope that they didn't actually need to be changed."

"Oh, I can't wait to see you have to actually change their diapers," Misty giggled evilly.

"Yeah, yeah," Ash scoffed as he set to work.

"…do we even know if they are boys or girls?" Max asked, "Because I know that I couldn't tell."

"Well, we'll find out now, won't we?" Ash smiled as he slowly pulled off the wet diaper from the babe with the blue streak through its bangs and cinnamon colored eyes, "Well, this one is a beautiful little girl."

"Do you think both are?" Dawn asked.

"Oooh, now I can't wait for her to grow up and see how Ash handles explaining her first period," Misty snickered.

"I'm more interested in how he'll react when she starts dating," Brock joined in.

"Easy," Ash smirked, "She won't date until she's at least thirty."

"Oh gawd, he's already going full daddy mode on us~!" May squealed.

"I kind of hope that it isn't both girls…" Tracy whimpered.

"Yeah, cause I don't know how Ash would handle all the squealing," Drew smirked.

"What was that?" May questioned.

"Nothing," Drew gulped.

"Well, it looks like I'll have some help in protecting her from boys," Ash smirked as he pulled the wet diaper from the babe with the red streak and cerulean blue eyes, "They're brother and sister."

"I think I'll be coming to bug you a whole lot, Ashy boy," Misty smirked, "Because I have a feeling that with these two, your life is never going to be boring again."

"So what are you going to name them?" Nurse Joy asked, sending Chansey to throw away the remains of the old diapers.

"Hm…" Ash sounded.

"I still think that you should name your daughter Jemma," Misty pouted.

"No," Ash stated, dragging out the syllable as he thought, "I want them to have unique names…"

"Unique? Like what?" Dawn asked.

Snapping his fingers, Ash turned and smirked at everyone, "Fintan and Rosemary~!"

"…Fintan," May started.

"And Rosemary?" Max finished.

"Yeah, Fintan means white fire and Rosemary means mist of the sea," Ash said, brushing the girl's bangs to the side of her forehead.

Misty sighed before placing her hand on his shoulder, "Those are good names, Ash. I'm sure that they'll love them when they get older."

Ash just beamed back at her, ignoring the single tear that lingered in the corner of his eye.

"Just don't be surprise when we start calling them Finny and Rose…Ashton," Misty snickered, quickly retreating behind Brock.

"Oi!" Ash snapped, immediately going after the redhead with a fierce blush on his face, "I told you not to call me that!"

"Ashton?" Dawn repeated.

"That's Ash's given name," Tracy sighed, "His full name is Ashton Satoshi Ketchum."

"Tracy!" Ash snapped, still trying to get at Misty who kept running around Brock.

"Sorry~!" Tracy laughed.

"I think Brock is getting dizzy," Max snickered.

"Yeah but I think that it's better for them to get their energy out now instead of keeping us up," May giggled.

"True," Drew nodded.

Dawn just looked between everyone before shrugging. Despite everything that had happened, they were acting as if nothing major had just happened. Sighing, she smiled at how Misty started to use Brock literally as a human shield. Maybe, just maybe, she could eventually get used to their craziness.

* * *

_**Mizu: *chuckles evilly* So the first real cross between the game, manga, and anime has arrived. Oh, I think you guys are all going to love what I've planned~! It's going to be so wonderful~!**_

_**Ash: *sighs* At least you allowed me to still be a dad…**_

_**Mizu: Don't worry, Ash. Your life is only going to get more complicated~!**_

_**Ash: Wait…What!?**_

_**Mizu: Remember that I love all reviews and suggestions~! Ciao for now~!**_

_**Pikachu: Pika?**_


End file.
